viii, 488 pages : 25 cm

"When George W. Bush won the White House, he was the first encumbent Republican governor elected president since William McKinley in 1896." "McKinley was the last of the Civil War veterans to win the presidency. Known widely as the Major, in honor of his military rank, he rose through Congress to head the crucial Ways and Means Committee where, in the early 1890s, he passed a strong and popular tariff bill." "That success caught the eye of Marcus Hanna, a Cleveland industrialist who had a passion for politics and an ambition to help make and elect a president. Democrats complained that McKinley was a mere puppet of the wealthy Hanna, but historians generally believe that they were a well-matched team of two strong-willed men. With Hanna's help, McKinley was elected governor of Ohio in 1892." "In 1896 McKinley swept away all rivals to win the presidential nomination on the first ballot. Faced in the general election by the well-respected and highly touted orator William Jennings Bryan, Republicans adopted their "Front Porch Campaign." Thousands of citizens from across the country were brought to McKinley's home in Canton for a handshake and a few words. Hanna arranged for this $3.5 million campaign to be paid for by big business, with oil baron John D. Rockefeller writing the largest check. McKinley's military service and his support among veterans were significant factors in his campaign. He became the first presidential candidate in a generation to win a majority of the popular vote." "This extensively revised and expanded edition of H. Wayne Morgan's William McKinley and His America will be an important resource for historians and scholars."--BOOK JACKET

Includes bibliographical references (p. 407-473) and index

Origins and ancestors -- The volunteer soldier -- Ohio lawyer -- Raising the standard of protection -- Congressman William McKinley -- Serpents, sharks, and cooing doves : Ohio politics, 1880-1890 -- A national figure -- The McKinley tariff : victory and defeat -- Governor of Ohio -- The McKinley boom -- The front-porch campaign -- Cabinetmaking -- The new administration -- Presidential profile -- Cuba libre! -- From peace to war -- Commander-in-chief -- Making peace -- Problems of empire -- The diplomacy of power -- President of all the people -- Journey to Buffalo

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